As Yu Xiaogang showed signs of refusing the proposal, Arou immediately became anxious and blurted out a response.
The moment the words left her mouth...
She realized she had made a mistake.
Sure enough, Yu Yuanzhen and the others immediately turned to look at her with questioning eyes.
Under their scrutinizing gazes, Arou wished she could knock herself on the head.
Serves you right for panicking.
But she couldn't help it.
She had already concluded that the Douluo Continent had entered the era when a new God was destined to emerge.
And at precisely this moment...
An extraordinary person like Yu Xiaogang had appeared.
The chances that he would eventually become a God were simply too great.
Anyone in her position would want to build a good relationship with someone like him.
If he truly ascended in the future, even a small favor received today could become an immeasurable opportunity later.
As a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast who had transformed into a human, Arou hadn't entered the human world merely out of curiosity.
She had done so because she feared she wouldn't survive the coming Heavenly Tribulation.
She wanted to live.
---
"Can you tell me why you're refusing?"
"I believe I've shown enough sincerity."
Arou looked at Yu Xiaogang with an unwilling expression.
She knew her earlier display of anxiety had already made Yu Yuanzhen and the others suspicious.
Now...
If she wanted to establish a relationship with them and secure a powerful ally for the future, she would have to pay an even greater price.
Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly.
"The reason is simple."
"The strength you've described doesn't match the record you've given."
He calmly began analyzing the situation.
"You mentioned a Moon-Devouring Azure Wolf that possesses support and healing abilities."
"You also mentioned its wolf pack."
"On your side, you have the Titan Giant Ape, the Sky Azure Bull Python..."
"And yourself."
"By your own description, those three forces should only be evenly matched against the Moon-Devouring Azure Wolf's pack."
"Yet you also said that your side defeated them."
"Furthermore..."
"The Moon-Devouring Azure Wolf clearly holds a grudge against you."
"It has spent decades rebuilding its strength but still hasn't dared attack again."
"And now that you've sensed danger, you're confident you can drive the wolf pack away once more."
"If your strength is only equal to theirs..."
"How can you be so certain?"
"There is only one explanation."
"You've hidden another source of combat power."
"Perhaps another hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast whose combat ability isn't particularly strong..."
"Or perhaps a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast with extraordinary combat power."
"I'm not wrong..."
"Am I?"
---
As Yu Xiaogang calmly laid out his reasoning, Arou's expression gradually froze.
In just a few short sentences...
Her reluctance turned into complete silence.
She had never imagined that Yu Xiaogang could deduce the hidden strength on her side simply from the information she had provided.
He was right.
She had indeed concealed the existence of another hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast.
That Spirit Beast...
Was her daughter.
Like Arou herself, her daughter's combat ability wasn't exceptional.
However, with her daughter's help, they did possess enough strength to defeat the Moon-Devouring Azure Wolf's pack.
What they lacked was the ability to eliminate the wolves completely.
That was why Arou had approached Yu Yuanzhen after sensing his overwhelming strength.
She had immediately decided to seek cooperation.
While explaining her own side's strength, she had deliberately hidden her daughter's existence.
To her...
That was perfectly reasonable.
No one willingly revealed every one of their trump cards.
With her daughter remaining hidden, even if Yu Yuanzhen's group became greedy after the battle, they would still have one final safeguard against anyone attempting to seize their Spirit Bones.
It was simply common sense.
Unfortunately...
Yu Xiaogang had seen through her deception immediately.
As a result...
The sincerity she had been emphasizing now looked nothing more than a collection of lies.
Trust...
Was incredibly difficult to build.
Yet it could be destroyed in a single sentence.
---
Had Yu Xiaogang not been present...
Or had he merely been an ordinary Spirit Master...
Discovering her secret would have meant little.
At worst...
She simply wouldn't cooperate with them.
But the current situation was entirely different.
What mattered wasn't whether Yu Yuanzhen's group wanted to cooperate.
It was that Arou desperately wanted to establish a relationship with Yu Xiaogang.
He was a peerless genius.
One who had already demonstrated talents far beyond ordinary understanding.
And now...
The Douluo Continent had entered an era destined to produce another God.
Combining those two facts...
Arou had already decided that no matter what happened, she had to establish a connection with him.
After remaining silent for a long moment...
She finally sighed.
"You're right."
"Your insight is truly remarkable."
"I did hide one of our companions."
"As for concealing our true strength..."
"I'm sure you can understand why."
---
Could they understand?
Of course they could.
Everyone instinctively hid their trump cards.
But understanding...
Didn't mean accepting it.
The moment Yu Yuanzhen and the others learned that Arou had deliberately concealed part of her strength...
Their interest in cooperating vanished almost immediately.
From the very beginning, they had already been cautious.
After all...
A hundred-thousand-year transformed Spirit Beast seeking cooperation with humans was suspicious enough.
If not for the enormous rewards Arou had promised...
They wouldn't even have considered the proposal.
Now...
The person who had repeatedly spoken of sincerity had been caught hiding vital information.
How could any cooperation continue under those circumstances?
Yu Yuanzhen spoke without hesitation.
"We understand why you hid it."
"But we can't accept it."
"So..."
"Let's end this discussion here."
After speaking, he glanced at the others, signaling them to prepare to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
---
"Wait!"
"Please don't go!"
In a flash of light, Arou used Teleportation to appear directly in front of Yu Yuanzhen.
Her anxious gaze constantly shifted between Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Xiaogang.
The urgency in her expression made Yu Yuanzhen frown.
Something isn't right.
He had clearly noticed the change.
Earlier...
Arou had been completely calm.
She had spoken with confidence, as though everything was already under her control.
She had even implied that they could take years to consider her proposal if they wished.
But now...
Everything had changed.
She no longer appeared composed.
Instead...
She looked desperate.
It was as though this cooperation absolutely had to succeed.
The contrast was impossible to ignore.
For such a dramatic change to happen...
She must have discovered something that made establishing a relationship with them absolutely essential.
Yu Yuanzhen's gaze shifted toward his son.
Yu Xiaogang stood there with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Clearly...
He had already realized the truth.
The reason behind Arou's sudden change in attitude...
Was Yu Xiaogang himself.
---
"What exactly is it?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at Arou with genuine curiosity.
For the first time...
He truly wanted to know.
What exactly did this hundred-thousand-year transformed Spirit Beast see in him...
That made her so determined to gain his trust?
________________________________________
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